Like many places in the Middle East, demand for water in Israel is outpacing available resources. Beginning in 2013, the Mekorot National Water Company will begin pumping desalinated water from water treatment facilities along the Mediterranean Sea to inland cities. Siemens motors will be used as part of a series of large water reservoirs at Ma’agar Sorek (Soreq) and Hefetz Hayim.

Israel’s ADL (SPC - Ashdod Desalination Ltd.), a subsidiary of state-owned Mekorot Development and Enterprises Ltd., recently announced that it will build and operate a desalination plant in the coastal city of Ashdod, supplying 100 million cubic meters of desalinated water annually. The new plant will join four other desalination facilities, providing 85 percent of Israel’s household water consumption by the end of 2013, and positioning the country as a world leader in desalination and wastewater recycling.

“While we are currently being conservative with our water resources, the infrastructure projects we are undertaking, including our seawater desalination plants at Ashdod and Soreq, will allow us to better manage the water economy, with hopes of a surplus water supply in 2014,” says Shimon Ben Hamo, CEO of Mekorot National Water Company.

Mekorot National Water Company is known globally for its green initiatives. The company’s flagship facilities include the Central Filtration Plant, the Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant (Shafdan), the National Water Carrier and Mekorot’s water supply system. Mekorot is a pioneering leader in the fields of water resources management, desalination, wastewater treatment and effluent reuse, rain enhancement, water quality, water security and water project engineering.

“Significant energy savings can be attributed to the installation of efficient motors, and Siemens is proud to be designing and manufacturing motors in the United States for projects across the globe,” says Doug Keith, president of Siemens Drive Technologies Division, North America. “This was a unique project, in that there was an aggressive time-schedule for permitting and water-delivery, as well as the implementation of new technologies in a large-scale and state-owned desalination plant”

Located next to Cincinnati, the Norwood manufacturing plant specializes in the design, manufacturing, service and delivery of large induction motors to multiple industries. The facility, built in 1898, includes product development and onsite motor testing operations. Siemens invested approximately $30 million in the plant, which employees 400 workers. Now a “Global Motor” research and technology center, the American Petroleum Institute (API)-certified plant manufactures and tests electric motors that are shipped globally for use by chemical, pulp & paper, power generation, cement, water/wastewater, metals, mining, oil & gas and transportation industries.

Siemens Industry Sector is the world’s leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products, solutions and services for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the sector enhances its customers’ productivity, efficiency and flexibility. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services Divisions as well as the Metals Technologies Business Unit.

The Siemens Drive Technologies Division is the world’s leading supplier of products, systems, applications, solutions and services for the entire drive train, with electrical and mechanical components. Drive Technologies serves all vertical markets in the production and process industries as well as the infrastructure/energy segment. With its products and solutions, the division enables its customers to achieve productivity, energy efficiency and reliability.